


Love Shuv

by CherriesOnTheCake



Category: Patiala Babes
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherriesOnTheCake/pseuds/CherriesOnTheCake
Summary: Babita had never seriously considered the possibility of a second relationship when she let Mini lead her out of Ashok’s house.  After all, if her own husband couldn’t fall in love with her when she was a comely eighteen year old, what hope did she have as a divorced thirty-five year old mum?





	Love Shuv

‘Babitaji mere aap kiye ek proposal hain if you’re interested,’ Hanuman tells Babita during her second month as his tenant. It’s the first time he has spoken to her directly since they moved in and first time he has even attempted to look her in the eye.

Babita chews her lip nervously as she turns on the stairs to face him. Everything about this police inspector who acts like a goonda but is as handsome as a film star makes her nervous.

‘Kaisa proposal, Hanumanji?’ Her fingers wind tight into her dress as she returns downstairs. ‘Mini didn’t mention anything to me.’

‘I didn’t want to say anything in front of the girl. She’s young and hot headed and would get the wrong idea. But you’re a grown woman,’ his eyes slide down to her knees. ‘I thought you might understand.’

Babita has never seen him look so defeated. 

‘Is something wrong?’ She asks with wide eyes, instinctively pulling him by the wrist to his settee. He might look hatta katta but his hands are surprisingly fine-boned. She can encircle his wrist easily with her fingers. ‘I could make you some khichdi if you feel sick.’

‘I’m not sick,’ but he lets Babita push him down into the cushions anyway. ‘I just...’ he inhales sharply, patting the seat next to him. ‘Join me please.’

Usually Babita tries not to even sit in the same room as Hanuman. When Mini joins him and Lalaji downstairs Babita stands in her doorway to listen in on the conversation. The meals she makes for him go downstairs via Mini. She even waits for him to leave each morning before coming downstairs. ‘I know I look like a sher,’ Hanuman smirks, ‘but I don’t bite. Not without permission at least.’ He pats the seat next to him again. ‘Please Babitaji.’

Face warm with embarrasment, Babita wraps her dupatta more tightly around her and sits down, making sure to keep as much space between them as possible. 

‘What’s wrong Hanumanji?’

‘Nothing,’ his eyes rise slowly from her hands to her bust and Babita’s already flushed face burns. She instinctively crosses her arms across her chest and the action seems to embarrass Hanuman too because his ears go as bright as the red pyjamas he’s wearing. ‘As I said you’re a grown woman,’ he says in the softest voice she has ever heard from him, ‘what proposal do you think a healthy young widower such as myself would have with a divorcee as beautiful as yourself?’

The realisation of what he’s hinting towards makes Babita’s blood turn to ice. 

‘I am not divorced,’ her voice trembles in impotent fury even as her mind adds not yet to the statement, ‘and even if I was I’m not like that.’ She tries to stand and her heart races when he his hand circles firmly around hers to keep her in place. Fine-boned it may be but his hand feels as strong as iron. ‘Hanumanji!’

‘Mini said your husband hasn’t lived with you for seventeen years.’ She doesn’t flinch when he turns her hand over so he can interlock their fingers but it’s a close thing. ‘Did he ever do more than the necessary to conceive Mini?’ His eyes turn syrupy as Babita blinks up at him. ‘Did he ever hold you, talk to you, make love to you?’ his face softens suddenly, ‘Did he ever even kiss you Babitaji?’

The answer to all of those questions of course is no. Ashok barely even looked at Babita when they were together. Even when they were together in that way it wasn’t just painful but also infrequent. Frankly, it was a miracle they even managed to conceive Mini in the first place. 

‘Why are you asking me all of this?’ She glares at him, ‘Whether Mini’s papaji did all of those things or not I’m not the kind of woman who kisses paraya men.’

‘Ab main paraya ho gaya?’ He lifts her hand to his mouth and it takes every shred of will power in her body not to gasp at the warmth of his lips, the slight scratch of the stubble on his chin, the heat of his hand over hers. ‘Besides, even the sati savatris of this world have needs, Babitaji.’ Hanuman smirks even as her glare intensifies. ‘Look I won’t force you, I’m not like that, but...’

‘I said no!’

“If you change your mind then let me know.” As soon as he lets her hand go, Babita shoots up to her feet and runs upstairs, locking herself in her room as quickly as possible. 

Unlike Mini who seemed to develop a bond with him instantly, Babita has always been a little wary of Hanuman Singh and his intentions. As she slides down her door to bury her face in her arms she can’t help but wish she hadn’t been proven right.

The next few weeks pass by in a blur but eventually Babita and Mini develop a routine. Babita goes to the mandir every morning returning at seven to make herself and Mini a cup of chai. While Mini is at college Babita spends her time cleaning their room, buying their daily groceries, and fabricating all sorts of scenarios to avoid being alone in the house with their landlord at all costs.

But she still sends her daughter downstairs to Hanuman’s kitchen at least twice a day with a cup of chai, a plate of parathas, and whatever sabzi they have to hand. He might have disrespected Babita with his damned proposal but her daughter cares about him — and Mini has lost far too many father figures recently. Babita doesn’t want her to lose one more which she will sooner rather than later if he continues to eat the rubbish he cooks.

Hanuman hasn’t so much as said a word to Babita since their last confrontation; their communications have continued to flow via Mini which is for the best. 

All in all Babita thinks she has developed a good routine. It’s not as good as the routine she had back home with Beeji and Papaji but at least here she doesn’t have to the stress of living with her cheating husband and his...

‘Am I really that bad?’ Hanuman’s deep voice interrupts Babita in the midst of her sewing making her prick herself. With a wince she looks up he’s leaning against her door in his most threadbare white pyjamas. She frowns when he stretches his arms in an exaggerated yawn. ‘You haven’t so much as looked at me since I kissed you.’

‘Who I decide to look at or not is none of your business,’ Babita sticks her injured fingertip in her mouth. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be at the station today?’

‘Night shift,’ he stifles another yawn. ‘Will you Invite me in?’

‘No,’

‘Why?’

Babita wrinkles her nose before returning to her sewing. 

‘You know why, Hanumanji. Don’t make me say the words.’

‘Oh yes, how could I forget.’ He bites back. ‘Main paraya hun. Don’t worry Babitaji I know when I’m not welcome. I’ll stay right here.’

She’s embroiding one of Mini’s favourite tops as a birthday gift for her and needs to get it perfect. This is the first birthday her daughter has spent away from their family. Babita might not have money but she’ll be damned if she can’t give Mini something for her birthday. 

She becomes so engrossed she forgets about Hanuman’s presence until she feels something hit her shoulder. Startling she lowers her eyes to find a foil wrapped heart on her lap. 

‘Lala pointed out that I might have been too direct with you last time,’ he says as she stares down at the chocolate. ‘I’ve been single for a long time. I don’t even know how to talk to women any more let alone court them.’

‘That was courting?’ Babita scoffs as she picks up the chocolate, glancing back to find him sitting in her doorway, ‘you’re lucky I didn’t file a FIR against you.’

‘You still could. Lala told me to give you his mobile number; he has offered to help you file a case against me any time of the day or night.’ He rolls his head back against the door. ‘I’m sorry ji.’

Babita huffs, unable to believe his gall. 

‘Is this what I should expect from now on?’ She wrinkles her nose. ‘You disrespect me, beg your forgiveness and all of a sudden I’m expected to forget about your mistake?’

‘No of course not. I have no right to forgiveness. I just...’ He glances back at her warily. ‘I miss being married. Not just the,’ he lowers his gaze, ‘physical aspects but the companionship too. I miss being able to come home to my wife and do nice things for her just to make her happy.’ He closes his eyes. ‘I miss buying chocolates and jalebiya...’

Babita smiles reluctantly, unable to help herself. ‘Immartiji liked chocolates and jalebiya?’

‘No, the jalebiya were for me,’ he chuckles, voice thick with tears. ‘She was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn’t eat the chocolates I bought unless I got something for myself and dadaji too. So I would buy both.’ His voice breaks. ‘I want to do all of that for you too,’ he clears his throat, wiping his face roughly with the back of his hand. ‘I tried to stop my feelings. I tried to explain to myself that you’re accustomed to a certain lifestyle, that you and Mini would have needs I wouldn’t be able to meet on an Inspector’s salary. Then I thought about Mini’s papaji,’ he sniffs, ‘I thought of how thoroughly he broke your trust and that it would be understandable if after all of that you wouldn’t want anything to do with another man...’

‘Hanumanji...’

“...But I can’t stop, Babitaji. Since the day I first laid eyes you it was as if my soul recognised yours. Muje tussi love hogaya hain su hogaya hain. That’s fixed. There’s no going back on that now but if you don’t want me then I won’t say another word on the matter.’

Babita had never seriously considered the possibility of a second relationship when she let Mini lead her out of Ashok’s house. After all, if her own husband couldn’t fall in love with her when she was a comely eighteen year old, what hope did she have as a divorced thirty-five year old mum?

But ocassionally, usually when she caught a glimpse of Hanuman’s smile or the scent of the aftershave he used, she let herself daydream a little. Not too much, despite what Mini says Babita isn’t one to live on false hopes, but she sometimes found herself wondering how her life might have differed had she married him instead of Ashok.

‘You were right before you know,’ Babita fingers the chocolate heart. It’s the same foreign brand that Ashok, or rather Meeta, used to buy for the family from London. Babita never developed a taste for it. ‘Mini’s papaji never romanced me, or held me, or kissed me; he could go months without even speaking to me. I was married to him for seventeen years, Hanumanji.’ She puts the chocolate aside for Mini before glancing back at him. ‘If the man who had the best years of my life couldn’t find anything to love about me, I have no right to expect more from you. What do you even want with a used up thirty-five year old with a grown up child anyway?’

She pushes back the flyway hairs near her temple. ‘What you feel is understandable, Hanumanji. You were alone for a long time. But it’s just lust confused with love. Perhaps...’

‘You are the last person who should talk about lust or love, Babitaji.’ Hanuman snarls back like a wounded animal, as if she slapped him instead of telling him the truth, and if Babita was the type of woman who liked to hurt people she might have felt vindicated. Instead all she feels is empty. ‘Badhe aaye aap mujhe samjaanewalle. You haven’t experienced enough of either to have any right to an opinion!’

‘Mana ke I’m not experienced in those matters,’ she says gently, ‘but I have enough experience of the world to know that you could do better than me. You are still young,’ she forces a smile, ‘handsome; you have a good job, a house. If you only just stopped drinking and started controlling your temper you could have your pick of eligible women. There’s no need for you to settle for a...’

‘If you call yourself used up one more time, mujhse bura koi nahin hoga,’ Hanuman warns and she closes her mouth with a click. ‘And what is this great experience of the world you’ve accumulated in that house over all these years that you can’t even recognise when a man loves you?’ Babita flinches at the word. ‘You’re not experienced in anything except that bloody kitchen!’

Hanuman rises to his feet and for a second Babita thinks he’s about to leave. Instead he looms in her doorway like a shadow. ‘Invite me in.’

‘Hanumanji,’

‘Do it or I’ll go crazy.’ He punches the door hard and unable to watch him hurt himself, she allows him in with a quick nod. He storms inside her room and, before she can even think to react, crushes her body under his on the bed. ‘I have every intention of fixing that,” he squeezes her wrists. ‘Your inexperience,’ he growls. ‘By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be so experienced you won’t be able to think straight,’ and then as her eyes widen in shock he captures her mouth hard with his.

The sudden flutter of his tongue against her lips sends electricity running down Babita’s spine. 

‘I’m not a fool so don’t treat me like one,’ he whispers between kisses, ‘you have feelings for me. Nobody without feelings would still make me meals after my behaviour last time, or put a blanket over me when I’m passed out drunk downstairs, or remember to send me a tiffin when I work late let alone one with all of my favourite foods. That’s what gave me the courage to even approach you in the first place. I won’t be put off just because you think you don’t deserve to be loved.’

‘I don’t...’ She wants to lie; wants to tell him that she doesn’t love him; but the sheer amount of hurt that bleeds from his eyes stops her in her tracks. ‘Of course I take care of you, Hanumanji.’ She smoothes back his hair. ‘You are part of my family, my heart, almost as much as Mini is.’

He cups her face between both of his hands and tilts it up, his mouth coaxing hers until her toes curl and her chest feels tight with want. Until her hands wind into his hair and her legs part instinctively under his. Until she’s kissing back. 

Afterwards Hanuman presses kisses into her hair as she sews back the buttons she tore off his shirt when she tried to pull it off. For some reason he’s decided to wear the shirt and there’s no choice but to sit astride his lap. As there’s no danger of being caught by Mini yet, Babita just basks in the pleasure of being in his arms a little longer.

‘So,’ he nuzzles into her neck, ‘if you don’t like chocolates what do you like?’ He smirks when she raises an eyebrow. ‘I might not be part of the investigations unit but I do notice things. You weren’t even tempted by the chocolate, so how else may I court you?’

‘I think we are well past courting Hanumanji,’ Babita smiles, ‘but since you asked so nicely I like fafada.’

Hanuman’s smile lights up his face, ‘fafada?’

‘Ha ji, chutney ke saath.’

‘I have no idea where I’ll find Gujarati food in Patiala but okay,’ he laughs, ‘challenge accepted.’ He smoothes a hand down the full length of her hair. ‘Is there anything else that you like?’

‘I like you,’ Babita says shyly lowering her gaze when his smoulders. ‘I like this house. I like living here. One day,’ she bites off the thread for the button she has just finished before moving to the next one, ‘I would like to make our arrangement here more permanent.’

‘It’s already permanent ji,’ his smile widens if possible, ‘I don’t need to marry you to guarantee that. If we ever get married all that will change is that you’ll get responsibility of me and my house.’ Babita scoffs. ‘What?’

‘I already have responsibility of you. Or are you forgetting that you haven’t even washed your own chuddis for the past few weeks?’

‘That was you?’ He asks shocked. “I thought Laale was doing them. I even gave that badmaash a bottle of whiskey to pay him back and he took it, just wait until I get my hands on him!” 

-/-


End file.
